1. Field
The present invention relates generally to the field of free cooling systems, and more particularly to an independent free cooling system that may operate without the aid of a chiller device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Free cooling may be an economical method of using low external air temperatures to assist in chilling a fluid, which may then be used for industrial processors or air conditioning systems. Conventional free cooling systems may include a chiller device, which may be compression based, to supplement the free cooling process. Because chiller devices may generally consume a considerable amount of energy and generate a lot of background heat, it may hamper the efficiency of conventional free cooling systems.
Moreover, conventional free cooling systems may suffer from inconsistent cooling output due to the fluctuation in external air temperature and/or the fluctuation in cooling load temperature. That is, conventional free cooling systems may lack a self-regulating mechanism to adjust to external condition changes and/or internal condition changes. As such, conventional free cooling systems may become unreliable in situations where the cooling demand and cooling supply varies in time.
Furthermore, conventional free cooling systems may suffer from a low duty cycle when atmospheric temperatures drop below the melting point of the cooling fluid, and they may have narrow operation margins when the external air temperatures begin to rise. As such, conventional free cooling systems may only operate for a relatively short period of time during a year.
Thus, there is a need for an independent free cooling system with improved functionalities and qualities.